f1fandomcom-20200222-history
Narain Karthikeyan
|birthplace = Coimbatore, India |death date = |placeofdeath = |nationality = |years = , – |teams = ( ) ( – ) |status = Racing in Super GT |firstrace = 2005 Australian Grand Prix |lastrace = 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix }} Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan (Tamil: குமார் ராம் நாராயண் கார்த்திகேயன்) (born 14 January 1977, in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India) is an Indian racing driver who in became the first Formula One driver from India. Over his career he competed in 48 races, starting 46, and scored a total of five points for a fourth-place finish at the 2005 United States Grand Prix. Karthikeyan first tested an F1 car during the season, driving in a mid-season test for , and later the same season he drove for the . In and , he served as a test driver for , and even had the opportunity to race in the 2004 season, but was unable to secure the necessary sponsorship funding. In , Karthikeyan managed to secure a full-time race seat with the Jordan team, partnering fellow rookie Tiago Monteiro. Barring the US GP, where he became the first Indian to score points in F1, he had an uneventful season in what was Jordan's final season as an F1 team. He moved to as a test driver for the and seasons. He was often linked to filling vacant seats, including at for 2007, for . Karthikeyan finally returned to F1 for the season, driving for the team. He failed to qualify for the first race, and twice broke the record for the lowest-place classified finish with 23rd at the and 24th at the . After the European GP, he was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo. He returned for the , where he finished 17th. Karthikeyan won back the seat in , this time driving the whole season. After HRT folded at the end of the season, Karthikeyan was no longer involved in F1. He currently races in Super GT. Formula One History Before F1 Jordan (2005) He made his début in 2005 for Jordan Grand Prix, becoming the first Indian driver in Formula One. Karthikeyan scored his only F1 points at the infamous 2005 United States Grand Prix, where he came fourth in a field of six cars. When the team became , Karthikeyan was dropped from the team. Williams (2006–2007) and interim years He became a test driver for Williams, staying at the team throughout the and seasons. After this, he drove in A1GP, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the European Le Mans Series, and Superleague Formula. HRT (2011–2012) Karthikeyan made a surprise return to F1 in , driving for the HRT F1 Team. Unfortuanately for Karthikeyan, he has twice set the record for lowest placed finisher in F1 history, 23rd at the and 24th at the . His strongest race was the , where he originally came 14th, but received a 20-second penalty for cutting a chichane and gaining an advantage and was classified 17th. He was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo after the European GP. He made a return at the first as a replacement to Vitantonio Luizzi. Karthikeyan finished 17th, beating Ricciardo and Jarno Trulli. , where he retired with brake failure.]] In , he signed for the HRT team again. At the , he had an eventful race, reaching points-paying positions before a collision with Jenson Button pushed him back to the rear end of the field. Then, at the end of race, he collided with Sebastian Vettel while being lapped. Vettel was forced to pit and did not score. Karthikeyan received a 20-second post-race penalty for the incident. Karthikeyan secured his best result of the season in Monaco, finishing in 15th place. Later in the season, Karthikeyan was involved in a major accident with Nico Rosberg at the , but neither driver was hurt. At the , Karthikeyan held up leader Vettel, and as a result Vettel was passed by Lewis Hamilton. After F1 After HRT entered liquidation after the season, Karthikeyan raced in the Auto GP series in 2013. Between 2014 and 2018 Formula One Record and Statistics F1 Career Record Statistics Career Results |12th|13th| |16th| | |15th| |16th|12th|14th|20th|11th|15th|15th| |5|18th}} |- |colspan=23| – : Did not compete | |23rd|21st|21st|17th|17th|24th|| |||| | | |17th|||0|26th}} |22nd|22nd|21nd| |15th| |18th|21st|23rd| | |19th| | |20th|21st| |22nd|18th|0|24th}} Notes External links * Wikipedia article * Official website * STATS F1 page * Driver DB page * Racing Reference Category:Indian Drivers Category:2005 Début Drivers Category:Jordan Drivers Category:HRT Drivers Category:Narain Karthikeyan Category:1977 births Category:Living people